THE PASSIVE VOICE

The Passive Voice is used when we are not interested in, or do not know, the doer of the action.
Our main interest is in the action itself and the agent often remains unexpressed.
Examples:

Rubber is produced in Sri Lanka.

An Exhibition will be held at our school next month.

When converting Active into Passive Voice, we must see that the tense is not changed.
The passive of a verb in the active voice, in the following tenses, is formed by the use of the
verb to be in the same tense as the active verb, with the past participle of the active verb.
Present Simple.

They sell cars.

Cars are sold by them.

(Active).
(Passive).

Present Continuous:

My brother is helping me.

(Active)
I am being helped by my brother.
(Passive)
Note: The continuous form of be (being) has to be used in the present and past continuous tenses.
Future:
They will give him a high post.
(Active)
He will be given a high post.
(Passive)
Past Continuous:
They were helping us.
(Active)
We were being helped by them.
(Passive)
Simple Past:
She helped us.
(Active)
We were helped by her.
(Passive)
The auxiliary verb have is used with the past participle in the perfect tenses
Present Perfect:
Past Perfect:
Future Perfect:

They have selected him for the post.

He has been selected for the post.
They had informed me about his death.
I had been informed about his death.

(Active)
(Passive)
(Active)
(Passive)

By January 1st they will have elected him President. (Active)

By January 1st he will have been elected President. (Passive)

Note the difference between being and been. Being is used in the present and past continuous
tenses (after am, is, are, was, were). Been is used in the perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect
and future perfect) after have, has and had.
In the exercises that follow, the subject in the active voice may be vaguely expressed as
someone, somebody, people, they etc. Such agents need not be expressed in the passive
voice.
The agent is expressed only when it is necessary to complete the sense.
Examples:

The telephone was invented by Graham Bell.

Hard Times was written by Charles Dickens.
The child was bitten by a snake.

Note: The passive of the auxiliaries may, might, can could, must, have (to), need ought
(to), used (to) is formed by adding be and the past participle of the ordinary verb.
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Examples:

We can help them.

(Active)
They can be helped by us.
(Passive)
Someone must sweep the floor.
(Active)
The floor must be swept.
(Passive)
When the active verb is used with a preposition or adverb, the preposition or adverb must be
retained in the passive.
Examples:

Someone will have to look after the child.

The child will have to be looked after.
We must send for him.
(Active)
He must be sent for.
(Passive)

(Active)
(Passive)

Exercise 01
Turn the following sentences into Passive Voice.
A. The Present Continuous
Note:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The passive is formed by using am/is/are with being and the past participle.
They are repairing the bridge.
Dr. Perera is treating me.
They are arranging the hall.
We are helping her.
They are holding the meeting today.
B. The Present Simple

Note:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The passive is formed by adding am/is/are and the past participle.

The Principal supervises their work.
They see me daily.
Someone sweeps the room daily.
They manufacture cars in Japan.
His uncle supports him.
C. The Future

Note: The passive is formed by using shall/will be and the past participle.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The President will give away the awards.

They will promote him to a higher post.
They will repair the building soon.
The police will arrest him.
They will open gates at six oclock.
D. The Past Continuous

Note: The passive is formed by using was/were with being and the past participle.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The police were watching him.

They were feeding the poor.
Her aunt was helping her.
An old lady was driving the car.
They were polishing the doors.

E. The Simple Past

Note : The passive is formed by was/were and the past participle.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

They elected him President

The villagers repaired the road.
The police arrested him.
They built this bridge in 1975.
Dr. James operated on me.
F. The Present Perfect

Note:

The passive is formed by using have/has been and the past participle.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

They have swept the room.

Someone has translated the book into English.
They have closed the doors.
They have sold all the cakes.
They have completed the repairs.
G. The Past Perfect

Note The passive is formed by using had been and the past participle.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

They had sold the tickets before I went there.

The Manager had warned him.
They had swept the hail before the meeting began.
They had seen this house earlier.
They had filled the vacancies already.

H. The Future Perfect

Note: The passive is formed by using shall/will have been and the past participle.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

They will have completed the work by the end of this year.
They will have announced the results by ten oclock tonight.
They will have sold all the furniture by tomorrow evening.
They will have ploughed the fields within the next two months.
By eight a.m. tomorrow, they will have hanged the murderer.

Exercise 02

(All Tenses)

Change the following sentences from the Active into the Passive Voice.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

They will complete the building next year.

People all over the world admire his paintings.
Someone has stolen my pen.
He had posted the letter immediately.
The manager is signing the letters.
They forbid smoking here.
They are calling me for the interview.
My neighbours dog bit me yesterday.
The police have arrested the thief.
Somebody has found the missing boy.
They passed the bill in Parliament yesterday.
They will have finished the work by six oclock today.
Someone is ringing the bell.
Someone broke a plate yesterday.
They sold all the old newspapers last week.

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16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

They will sell the articles by auction tomorrow.

They staged the play last night.
The Prime Minister will unveil the portrait today.
They are showing the film in Bombay.
They were decorating the hail yesterday.

Exercise 03
Change the following sentences from the Passive into the Active Voice. When the agent is not
expressed in the passive, the subject of an active verb will be they, someone, people, etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5
6
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
20.

The letters have been delivered by the postman.

The election results were broadcast last night.
A well was dug in their garden.
The chickens are being fed.
The money was hidden by the thieves in a pit
The room will be dusted tomorrow morning
The goods were being despatched yesterday.
All the articles had been damaged.
Her handbag was snatched by a thief yesterday.
The new shirts are being sold very fast.
The cricketers were being cheered by the boys.
The names of the prize winners will be published tomorrow.
Rubber is produced in Malaysia.
The teachers will be paid their salaries tomorrow.
Dick was punished by the Principal for breaking a window.
The bell was rung late this morning.
The accused has been discharged by the judge.
We had been warned about this earlier.
The children are being examined by a doctor.

Exercise 04
The following passage contains verbs in the active as well as passive forms. Fill in each blank
with the right part of the verb given within brackets.
Man drowns as boat capsizes
One man .(drown) when a boat ..(capsize) in the Kelani River at
Navagama on Saturday afternoon.
The victim .. (identify) as H. William, a father of two children
and a resident of Navagama, police ..(say).
Five others who .(be) in the boat .(rescue) by villagers.
The two boatmen .(swim) to safety. The police (look) for them.
Navy divers, police and villagers .(compel) to give up the search for the body
owing to a strong current.
Police (recover) three bicycles belonging to passengers who ..........(ferry)
across when the accident ............
(occur).
The investigations (conduct) by Inspector G. Thomas and Sergeant Fernando.

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